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| Wilson Says Increased Title I Funding Good News for New Mexico |
March 19, 2004 |
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New Mexico to Receive $114 Million for Needy Schools
Albuquerque, New Mexico — Title I funding, for schools that generally serve lower income and minority students, is increasing to record highs for New Mexico, announced Congresswoman Heather Wilson today. Wilson says her goal continues to be to narrow the achievement gap between wealthy and disadvantaged students, a goal furthered by federal Title I funding that New Mexico relies upon heavily.
Wilson toured a West side elementary school today with the number two education official in the United States, Acting Assistant Secretary Eugene Hickok. Wilson and Hickock also spoke at a “Feria Educativa”, or Education Fair, sponsored by a coalition of national organizations and the U.S. Department of Education through its Partners in Hispanic Education initiative.
The Department of Education today released its preliminary figures for Title I funds under the 2004 omnibus spending bill approved by the House on December 8, 2003. The Department of Education projects New Mexico’s NCLB Title I funding allocation will increase from $103 million this year to $114 million next year under the omnibus bill – an increase of $10.8 million. The Albuquerque Public School system, New Mexico’s largest school district, gets a 10 percent increase over last year’s funding for a total of $24.7 million.
“There has been a record increase in federal taxpayer dollars going to American public schools since President Bush came to office,” said Hickock. “The Albuquerque Public School district has received approximately a 70% increase in Title I funds alone, since 2001. While these dollars will significantly impact New Mexico’s education system, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not resources that matter as much as results.”
“We have increased funding for education and given much more flexibility to local schools to decide how to use those funds,” agreed Wilson. “The emphasis is now on results: what matters is that students learn. Not just “on average” but that every child gets the tools they need to succeed in life.”
Under the No Child Left Behind Act schools must assess the performance of all students, including low income students and minority students, and not just the student body on average. A large percentage of federal funds are for schools with high percentages of children growing up in poverty, but before the Act was in place there were no systematic assessments of whether the programs were narrowing the achievement gap between wealthy and disadvantaged students.
“This year, we’ll continue to see a rise in federal commitment to education,” Wilson told students and teachers at Marie Hughes Elementary School. “But I think we should do more at the federal level to help our teachers and students close the achievement gap. I actually voted against the initial Education funding bill in the U.S. House last summer because I was concerned the bill didn’t do enough for education. That was especially true in Title I funding, which New Mexico relies upon heavily.”
Hispanics and Advanced Degrees
Wilson also says it’s important to seed the pipeline leading to advanced degrees for all students, with an increased emphasis on getting more Hispanic students into the graduate programs where they can earn those advanced degrees. Federal help already exists for Hispanic-Serving Institutions, or colleges or universities with student populations with a concentration of Hispanics of 25 percent or more. Wilson is the primary sponsor of legislation that expands that help to graduate programs.
“It’s not enough to graduate from high school anymore. College degrees are critical for success, and graduate degrees are becoming increasingly important. Every one of you here today is a potential Ph.D, or Doctor, or engineer,” Wilson told students at the elementary school and at the education conference. “I want federal policies to do more to help your parents and schools like UNM and TVI get more of you into college, and into advanced programs.”
Currently there are 250 HSIs, including 18 in New Mexico. Wilson said that important progress has been made in improving HSIs nationwide; including eliminating a 50% low-income requirement that created a barrier for most institutions to prove, and abolishing a two-year waiting period for HSI’s to be eligible for Title V grants.
At UNM, 33 percent of the undergrad engineering students are Hispanic, and they graduate at a higher rate than non-Hispanic students. But less than 10 percent of the graduate school engineering students are Hispanic.
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